My take on why
D is the right choice:
The current administration and Congress have once again practiced bad public policy in failing to increase Pell grants or at least limit their reduction for next year’s budget. Pell grants improve access to higher education for those who have historically been disadvantaged in our society by financial or other life circumstances, thereby helping recipients elevate themselves to the middle class. Without that access, the gap between the rich and poor in this country will continue to widen, increasingly straining the stability of our democracy.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion of this argument?
Since the question concerns an argument, let us restate the argument in our own words to see which statement below weakens it most:
Premise 1: Pell grant spending has decreased/will not rise
Premise 2: Pell grants improve access to higher education and help poor people elevate themselves to middle class
Conclusion: Without enough Pell grants, the gap between rich and poor will widen and the stability of democracy will decrease.
A) Total spending on programs targeted at improving access to higher education for disadvantaged students will increase in next year’s federal budget.This seems correct because it weakens the conclusion a great deal. The conclusion states that the gap will widen without enough Pell grants, because Pell grants improve access to higher ed for disadvantaged students. This statement here says that spending on programs for improving higher ed will INCREASE, which weakens the need for Pell grants, but does not address the conclusion enough. Remember, the conclusion is saying "PELL GRANTS CAN SAVE US", and this doesn't attack the conclusion enough. If option D did not exist I would go for A...
B) The neediest candidates for Pell grants often lack information about their eligibility for such grants.Incorrect in my opinion because there seems to be an issue with a SHORTAGE of Pell grants. Say there were 100 Pell grants issued last year, but a demand for 1000 (think of it like securing a spot at H/S/W
). Lets say next year also 100 Pell grants were issued, but there was demand for 1100. Since grants are usually in low supply and very high demand, I dont think the issue that the neediest candidates don't know enough about it is the biggest problem. Sure, it may be a problem, but the biggest problem is that there are not enough Pell grants available to satisfy demand.
C) Congress recently authorized a bill that will increase after-school programs in urban communities.
Don't see how this could apply...
D) On average, an individual Pell grant funds less than 15% of the full cost of attending a four-year college or university.Perfectly addresses the conclusion. Pell grants alone cannot decrease the "widening of the gap between the rich and poor in this country" because they only cover 15% of the full cost. How on earth could a poor person so far divided from the rich afford to attend college for 4 years on a measly 15% discount? I was previously sold on A, but now I vote for D.
E) Federal spending on education for next year will increase as a percentage of the total budget.Incorrect. If the total budget goes down from $1000 to $10 and the % for education goes up from 5% to 90%, we would actually be spending less than last year.